Singing their way to fame on `Idol'
By Maureen Ryan
Tribune television critic
Published February 19, 2007

For Leslie Hunt, making it to the final rounds of "American Idol" would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

Hunt, a 24-year-old Chicagoan, is one of the final 12 women taking the stage on the Fox talent show Wednesday (the final dozen men perform Tuesday, and live eliminations begin Thursday).

A couple of years ago, however, Hunt would not have had the physical stamina to go through the grueling "Idol" audition process.

Diagnosed with lupus when she was 7, Hunt says she had a difficult childhood that was spent largely indoors.

"It was really tough," Hunt said in phone call from Los Angeles, where she's sharing a room with fellow Chicago-area contestant Gina Glocksen. "When I was a kid, there were a lot of limitations. Just a couple of years ago, a miracle medication made me be able to do something like this."

One side effect of lupus was that it was dangerous for Hunt to be in the sun, but thanks to her new medicine, she has been able to work as a dog walker for the past couple of years. And she credits the medicine with allowing her to have the stamina to wait in line for six hours at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, where she tried out for "Idol."

"Now I'm outside all the time," said Hunt, who grew up in St. Charles, studied composition and piano at Roosevelt University and has played around Chicago with cover bands and with a group called Mark Twang.

She'd never thought about trying out for "Idol," but a near-death experience while traveling left Hunt with a new passion for life.

"I got a vaccination for yellow fever, and I got deathly ill. I almost died when I was in Rio," said Hunt, who is engaged and lives on the North Side of Chicago. "Ever since then, it's this new mentality for me. I'm not going to just rest on my laurels and wait for things to happen to me. I have to take a proactive approach."

Part of her strategy this "Idol" season is to pick a genre she shines in, without being too predictable.

"I'm going to be varied within reason. I do feel like I have a niche -- I'm not going to be doing the Isley Brothers one minute and Celine Dion the next," Hunt said. "I'm going to be doing a lot of classic soul, basically."

For Glocksen, 22, producers used editing sleight-of-hand to change the song that the TV audience saw her sing in front of the "Idol" judges.

But Glocksen said she never sang "Black Velvet" for those three judges. She performed "Killing Me Softly" for them, and the taping of her performance of "Black Velvet" took place in front of another "Idol" producer at a different time.

Glocksen, who lives in Naperville with her boyfriend, is a veteran of the "Idol" process. She auditioned in the show's second season but didn't make the cut. Last season she made it as far as Day Four of the Hollywood round.

This time around, she auditioned twice. She didn't make the cuts in the Los Angeles auditions, but she traveled to Memphis for another tryout. At that audition, she got the nod to come to Hollywood.

When she did get picked to go to Hollywood, Glocksen, who works as a dental assistant, asked to hug the judges, especially her "crush," Cowell.

She got her wish, and "I actually sat on all their laps," Glocksen said with a laugh.

So what's the reason for her crush on Cowell? "First of all, he's a very, very attractive man. He's honest, and that's something I'm attracted to," Glocksen said. "Also, he put me through [to the Hollywood round] two times in a row."

Though she's enjoying her time in L.A., Glocksen said she misses Chicago's weather. The weather in L.A. is messing with her vocal cords, she says.

"California weather does not work for me at all," she said. "It's a lot different out here for singers."

Glocksen wants to correct one perception about her -- she does live in Naperville, but she wants it known that she was raised in Tinley Park and that's where her family still lives.

Paging Mr. Manliow... Mr. Barry Manilow! And while we're at it, let's queue up Disco Night. Heck, I'd even settle for ''Songs From the Year the Contestants Were Born'' Night. Because one thing that's frighteningly clear after watching the opening night of American Idol's season 6 semifinals: The top 12 men, for the most part, should not be left to their own devices.

There were excruciatingly dull song choices. There were keys the contestants couldn't reach with ladders. There were hair and styling choices that would've drawn catty comments even from Ugly Betty. (Tip No. 1: If you can braid your goatee to your chest hair, it's seriously time to invest in a razor.) There were moments I thought the evening's theme was ''Random Selections From a Jukebox in 1979.'' Sorely lacking, however, were performances that looked like they were coming from potential music superstars  let alone folks who could get a crowd of teenage girls worked up once the Idol top 10 tour commences this summer.

So where to begin? I guess with the good, considering how much bad and ugly we'll have to cover in a moment. And tonight, there was no one better than spiky-haired beatboxer Blake Lewis, whose cover of Keane's ''Somewhere Only We Know'' was as lovely as it was unexpected. Randy was completely off-base (what's new?), telling Blake he should showcase his beatbox skills every week. As Blake pointed out in his pre-performance interview, Idol audiences haven't seen too much of his singing up to this point in the season, so his choice of an evocative mid-tempo number was an inspired strategic move. Not only that, he was the night's only performer who seemed completely comfortable and confident in front of a national audience. Until proven otherwise, he's the front-runner on the men's side.

Still, there are five other spots in the finals for male singers, and somebody's got to grab 'em, whether or not they're on par with season 5 standouts like Daughtry or Yamin or Hicks. And while A.J. Tabaldo's perky take on Luther Vandross' rhythmically tricky ''Never Too Much'' certainly wasn't flawless, it was a whole lot of fun  a quality that was in woefully short supply during tonight's two-hour telecast. Seriously, is there some rule that says these guys aren't allowed to smile and cut loose during their performances? I thought the judges were awfully tough on A.J., especially considering he was on-key for at least 90 percent of his number. Plus, he got Paula on her feet doing her crazy dance; that in itself ought to win him safe passage to next week.

If A.J.'s severe screen-time deficit doesn't derail his Idol dreams, he'll likely be sharing the stage next Tuesday with Chris Sligh, whose take on Mute Math's ''Typical'' (a song I will admit I've never heard before) was probably good enough to maintain his already large fan base, but not likely to win him any new voters. Simon was totally right  the whole performance reeked of a ''weird student gig,'' partly because of the lackluster song choice, and partly because Chris sounded surprisingly strained going for the bigger notes. And while Chris' dig at last season's Idol victory song, ''Do I Make You Proud,'' was funny, I thought his self-ballyhooed sense of humor backfired on him when he tried to mix it up with Simon. It's way too early in the season to be this smug, dude, even if you're making fun of Il Divo.

Based solely on tonight's efforts, I'd say Nick Pedro, Jared Cotter, and Phil Stacey are probably most deserving of the remaining berths in the finals  although they've all got tons of room for improvement. Nick was so restrained on ''Now and Forever'' that I was vaguely worried he might slip into a coma, but there's no denying he's got a lovely voice  and hopefully he can shake off the nerves (and the Richard Marx ballads!) if America gives him a second chance. Jared, meanwhile, suffered from quite a different problem: His rendition of Brian McKnight's ''Back at One'' was reasonably strong (albeit awfully karaoke), but with the alarmingly come-hither looks he was throwing into the cameras, I wouldn't be surprised if the Idol photography crew has grounds for a sexual harassment lawsuit.

And then there's Phil. Now, while I could most certainly have asked for a great deal more from his cover of Edwin McCain's ''I Could Not Ask for More''  for starters, how about not tunelessly mumbling your way through the song's first third?  he did belt out the remainder in perfectly plucky fashion. Which is more than you can say for the rest of the guys  two of whom I'm predicting will head home on Thursday without drawing any tears from this Idol watcher.

I'm not sure if the excited judges saw the same version of Chris Richardson's ''I Don't Want to Be'' that came through my screen. To be fair, the guy (who's already hammering in the comparisons folks have made between him and Justin Timberlake  the nerve!) put his own twist on the Gavin DeGraw tune, but his version was nasal, tinny, and punctuated by boppy body language that looked straight out of 'N Sync's ''Bye Bye Bye'' video. Plus, he oddly swapped the word ''prisoner'' for ''prison guard.'' And while I'm complaining, why choose a number that's already been Idol-ed to death by Bo Bice and Elliott Yamin?

That said, the song was a better fit for Chris than ''Rock With You'' was for Brandon Rogers, or ''Knocks Me Off My Feet'' was for Sanjaya Malakar. The former was so wobbly and listless on Michael Jackson's jaunty hit, it's got me wondering if he stretched the truth about his résumé, going with ''Christina Aguilera backup singer'' as opposed to ''Christina Aguilera roadie.'' And Sanjaya  oh, Sanjaya!  you're really gonna make it that easy for Simon by repeating the line ''I don't want to bore you with it'' on a sluggish ballad that's way too big for ya? And you're really gonna keep going to the hairstylist with a photo of Gayle King that you ripped out of O magazine? I'll give you this, though: You were relatively in tune  and I'm still hoping somehow you'll survive till next week and surprise me with unexpected greatness, or not-awfulness, or something.

To get there, I'm hoping two of the following singers get unceremoniously dumped on Thursday: Rudy Cardenas, Paul Kim, and Sundance Head. True, Rudy didn't hit many wonky notes during his episode-opening number, but the guy had his choice of a gajillion different songs and he picked the Edgar Winter Group's ''Free Ride''? Did he somehow think his segment was sponsored by Ford? An honest mistake, but not a forgivable one.

Shoeless Paul, meanwhile, drew dreaded comments of ''How you feelin'?'' and something about failing to find his center from Paula after his take on Wham!'s ''Careless Whisper.'' I've got to hand it to that Abdul chick; who else could find such kind things to say after hearing a person disembowel a cherished '80s chart-topper? Sundance, meanwhile, treated the Moody Blues' ''Nights in White Satin'' even more brutally; the big dude's body language was stiffer than a corpse, and not a single note was left unbloodied. Things got so ugly, I thought for a minute I was watching an episode of CSI: Miami. Cue David Caruso: ''The dream is dead, Sundance.'' [Shades on.] ''The dream is dead.''

NEW YORK - If we learned anything from Tuesday's installment of "American Idol," it's that Ryan Seacrest and Simon Cowell still get on each other's nerves. A lot.
Seacrest went off on Cowell on the Fox network's singing competition after the acerbic judge called him "sweetheart."

"I don't want that kind of relationship," repeated Cowell, to which Seacrest replied: "Exactly. We'll just work together, that's fine with me."

Later in the two-hour broadcast, Seacrest continued to needle Cowell, who was harshly grading the 12 male singers vying to win the "Idol" title and a record contract.

"Why are you being so negative tonight? I mean, you've been very, very negative," Seacrest said.

"I'm not being negative," Cowell replied. "Unlike you, I actually respect the audience at home and I don't - and I don't believe in lying to them."

That didn't appear to go over well with Seacrest, who closed the sing-off by thanking Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and the band - but not Cowell.

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I heard the sweetheart thing but turned it off before Ryan snubbed Cowell in the TY's at the end. Wow. I want to see Ryan just punch Simon. I have to admit Simon was being a little harsh last night. Granted none of the performances were spectacular but still.

Hurley: (holding up a Jesus statue) I don't know. I thought there might be a prowler or something.
Mrs. Reyes: (grabbing the statue) Jesus Christ is not a weapon! - LOST "There's No Place Like Home Pt. 1

For five years, American Idol's contestants have had to stand center stage and (more or less) quietly take in the withering criticisms, dithering squabbles, and occasional praise of judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell. But now, we're letting a few of them turn the tables: EW.com has exclusively enlisted former Idol contestants Kimberley Locke (third place in season 2), Anthony Federov (fourth place in season 4), and Ace Young (seventh place in season 5) to critique the judges each week. (Season 3 finalist Amy Adams will join our panel next week.) Much like Idol, everything is fair game, from quips to coifs, verbal gaffes to fashion don'ts. And, yes, on occasion, the judges can even be right..............

GREENSBORO — Basketball fans at Friday night's ACC Women's Tournament games can hear the voice that sent a Reidsville teen to "American Idol."
Jamie Ward will sing the national anthem before the 6 p.m. game.

When an ACC staffer called her mother with the request, "I said, 'Heck, yeah,'" Ward said Tuesday. "That sounds fun to me."

Ward, 17, was a contestant this season on "American Idol" and made it through the first round of auditions before being eliminated.

She will graduate from Rockingham County High School this spring. While she plans to study nutrition, a singing career is her first goal.

"American Idol" seems to be opening doors, Ward said.

She looks forward to attending her first women's tournament. "I really want to meet some of the players," she said.

BetCRIS.com odds makers firmly believe Blake Lewis is the current favorite to win American Idol among the guys, his odds just a tad shy than frontrunners Jones and Doolittle.
Blake Lewis stood out in his first appearance at American Idol guys semifinals last week. The judges felt it was the best vocal of the night.

Singing “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane the judges told Lewis his song choice was good and well-performed. Simon Cowell said Lewis was the best he had heard so far.

Blake's odds to win American Idol originally opened at +1000* at BetCRIS. An excellent price that is long gone. His current odds are +585*, well worth a bet while the odds last.

Funnyman Chris Sligh odds went exactly the opposite way. He opened at +450*, the contest's favorite, but has now dropped at +1200*. He's got talent and personality. We'd say betting $10 or $20 at this price could be worth something.

Brandon Rogers, Chris Richardson and Philip Stacey are the closest to Lewis and Sligh. Their odds to win are currently offered at +1500*, definitely a longshot unless your name is Antonella Barba.

Yes, I know, these are the guys odds but, buy buy buy Antonella while her odds last. She's currently offered at +1200*, a $50 bet on her would pay $600 if she wins. She's not that much of a singer but she's cute and more popular than Britney Spears! Definitely worth the risk, bet on her while her odds last is our advice.

All American Idol betting odds are provided by BetCRIS, where the line originates since 1985. Click here to visit BetCRIS today.

Comcast Customers May Be Without 'American Idol'
(AP) Baltimore, Md. Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. will pull its television stations from Comcast Corp. cable systems at 2 a.m. Thursday unless it reaches a new deal with the nation's largest cable operator to retransmit the stations, a Sinclair official said Wednesday.

The move would leave millions of Comcast customers in markets including Baltimore and Pittsburgh, where Sinclair owns the Fox affiliates, unable to watch the popular "American Idol" results show on Thursday unless they hook up an antenna.

"It's important for people to know there's a chance they could wake up (Thursday) morning and the station might not be there anymore," said Barry Faber, Sinclair's vice president and general counsel.

Hunt Valley-based Sinclair was in similar negotiations earlier this year with a smaller cable company, Mediacom Communications Corp., over "retransmission consent" -- the permission granted by broadcasters to cable and satellite providers to carry stations that are available over the public airwaves.

Traditionally, broadcasters have allowed cable companies to retransmit their stations for free, but Sinclair has begun demanding that it get paid. The company argues that its programming is far more popular than the shows on channels that cable companies pay a premium for.

"Our view is that we need to be compensated in connection with retransmission consent," Faber said.

The company is expecting to receive $48 million in retransmission consent fees in 2007 -- about double what it received last year, Faber said.

Philadelphia-based Comcast has 24.2 million cable customers, and about 3 million of those, in 23 markets, receive Sinclair stations.

If Sinclair and Comcast do not reach a new retransmission consent agreement or extend their current one, Sinclair could order the cable company to stop carrying 30 of its stations -- more than half the stations the broadcaster owns.

"Our first goal is to protect our customers from being charged extra for free TV," Comcast spokeswoman Jenni Moyer said. "We continue to talk with Sinclair and will continue to offer Sinclair's broadcast stations unless they demand that those stations be removed."

About 700,000 Mediacom customers went without Sinclair stations for several weeks before a deal was reached in early February, two days before the Super Bowl. Mediacom officials did not disclose the price but said they began paying to carry Sinclair stations for the first time.

Analysts have said Sinclair has less leverage in its negotiations with Comcast, because pulling the stations would affect a far greater percentage of Sinclair customers than Comcast customers and could jeopardize Sinclair's advertising revenue.

"Sinclair isn't large enough to stand toe-to-toe with a cable operator like Comcast," Craig Moffett, a senior analyst of the cable and satellite broadcasting industry at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., told The (Baltimore) Sun.